TEACHER RETENTION Tweets of the week Anonymous


but that in the UK teachers are generally not held in high reward. He added: “The government wants to make international comparisons, but needs to support the profession in improving its standing.” Critics of the government say that money would


be better spent on improving teachers’ conditions so that both new and experienced teachers stay in the profession. Andrew Morris, head of salaries, superannuation,


education economics at the National Union of Teachers, told SecEd: “The government needs to address the relatively low pay levels and high workload which are contributing to teacher recruitment and retention problems. Even before the pay freeze, teachers’ pay increases had been below inflation for a sustained period. Teachers’ pay has been cut in real terms and has fallen well behind that of other graduates, in terms of both starting pay and pay progression. Teaching needs to recruit a significant proportion of each year’s graduate cohort, but poor relative levels of pay erode its ability to do so – and this problem is likely to worsen when the economy recovers.” While the profession waits for industry standard


salaries to recruit and retain highly qualified people, schools are coming up with their own incentives. For example, schools report that fast-track promotion through different pathways motivates and encourages teachers, rewarding them not only financially but by recognising their hard work, and also by re-assessing accountability and responsibility, making teachers feel more supported when disciplining students. Since leaving teaching, Barbara has forged a career


as a market researcher, although she does wonder if she would still be in teaching if her school had been different, with better work and behaviour schemes. She also suggests that there might be a role for trainers to encourage trainees to find a school that they have a good “fit” with, particularly during the difficult first few years.


SecEd • Maria Anguita is a freelance journalist and editor.


This week: The Education Select Committee asked the public to tweet in questions for education minister Michael Gove to answer during his appearance before them on Tuesday (January 31).


“What on earth are you


doing?” @TeacherToolkit


“Why do children with SEN not have the same direct rights to attend and be supported at an academy as


in a maintained school?” @sharonkitten


“Could the royal yacht be used as a detention hulk?” @68ron


“Will he be limited to 140


characters in his replies?” @mchirps


“Ask him to resign?” @adambeyoncelowe


“When my kids reach school, can you please emigrate?” @missgembles


We will report on his appearance next week. Follow SecEd on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SecEd_Education


that the skills needed to be a teacher cannot possibly be gained through training. He told SecEd: “It is far too complex a profession to expect to be equipped when leaving training. Some skills are very much personal characteristics and cannot be taught. You need intelligence, humility, being a good learner, calmness, liking children, being a self-starter, adaptable, a multi- tasker, not being afraid of making decisions, emotional intelligence, etc.”


Teach First


The Graduate Teacher Programme and Teach First have proved to be popular entry routes, with 82.5 and 89 per cent of new teachers entering the profession respectively. At the launch of the latest Graduate Teacher


Programme, education minister Michael Gove said: “Training does not focus sharply enough on techniques teachers most need, such as behaviour management.” However, John Wadsworth, senior lecturer in


education at Goldsmiths, University of London, wrote last summer in The Guardian defending the role of the university in training. He said: “Teaching is a complex task and can’t be reduced to a simple list of strategies. What works for one child won’t necessarily work for another, but theory gives teachers the tools to know what to do when they don’t know what to do.” The TDA website shows that there are nine different


routes into teaching, with a banner proudly telling us that every 3.5 minutes somebody is applying for post- graduate teacher training. Our assistant headteacher emphasises the importance


of getting school experience before applying to any course, highlighting that for trainees and NQTs, most of the learning is done in the classroom. He explained: “I normally have a gut feeling of how


good a teacher is going to be within a couple of days of them actually starting. Schools train teachers – it is a career long process that never ends. Training courses


SecEd • February 2 2012


can only touch the tip of the iceberg – working with young people is complex.” In hindsight, Barbara agrees that government


recruitment campaigns create a rose-tinted glass impression of loving pupils, eureka moments and job satisfaction: “Of course the job has its moments, but it is hard work and it takes a long time to establish yourself with the kids and in terms of lesson-planning. A dose of realism during my training would have helped.” However, as the head of languages from north


London puts it, without the support and guidance of experienced teachers, schools can find themselves in a catch-22 situation: “A new teacher comes in, but because the department is staffed by relatively inexperienced teachers, he or she does not receive adequate support, particularly when disciplining children, so he or she leaves. “The emphasis should be on getting enough


experienced teachers to stay who can guide inexperienced teachers through the first few years,” she added. As far back as 2001, the National Union of Teachers


(NUT) produced a report on which teachers are more likely to leave the profession and why. They found that most leavers are in the 25 to 29 age range (48 per cent), and that among secondary school teachers excessive workload (58 per cent) and bad pupil behaviour (45 per cent) were the main reasons. The report claimed that “teachers were no longer


respected, with pupils believing they have the greater power, often substantiated by law and government implementation”. At the time, the NUT said that “policies for recruitment must be balanced by policies for retention”. While it would seem that there is no shortage of trainees, 10 years since the NUT’s report retention of teachers is still an issue. The anonymous assistant headteacher told us that


the best educational systems in the world are in countries where teachers are held in very high regard,


STEM Secondment Opportunity


A secondment is available for a senior teacher with National Grid – one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world.


“A great opportunity to interact with people using high-end science and engineering skills & find out how they use the knowledge that schools teach.”


Length of Secondment: Two terms Location: Warwick


Funding: A bursary will contribute towards the cost of supply cover Start date: February/March 2012


For an application pack and further details, contact Estelle Khiari Tel:


Email: e.khiari@hti.org.uk Web: www.hti.org.uk


Quote reference: NG 11/12 024 7669 8524


Through its Stretch Secondment Programme, education leadership charity HTI is offering an exciting two-term secondment working within National Grid’s Gas Network Investment Team.


• An exciting opportunity for an established or aspiring school/subject leader with a STEM background and a passion for encouraging STEM students.


• A chance to work with, support and learn from one of the UK’s biggest engineering companies and build links for your school.


• You will lead on a knowledge-capture project among high skill design engineers, meet many National Grid staff and learn about the practical application of STEM in the workplace.


• You will be given significant leadership shadowing opportunities, gain real experience of how management and decision-making works in a FTSE top 100 organisation.


Based in Warwick, the Gas Network Investment Team consists of almost 100 people and is responsible for the planning and development of the Gas National Transmission System – an 8,000km high integrity network routinely carrying 40 per cent of the nation’s primary energy.


The secondment will help to enhance your leadership capability and the successful candidate would be expected to return to their school with a legacy for future pupils, including positive messages about STEM subjects.


Stretch is an initiative created by HTI to provide senior teachers and business with the opportunity to benefit from sharing and exploring transferable skills, knowledge and understanding, via flexible interim projects.


9


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16